I have a garden. That's right, me.
Those who know me will know that I do not have a green thumb. Gardening has never been anything I've particularly been interested in and all of my attempts at keeping anything green have failed.
To be fair, when I say "all of my attempts" what I mean is 1 pot of parsley which flourished then died, 1 outdoor pot plant which died without flourishing and several pot plants a friend left for me to mind and I had to give to someone else when they started looking very sad. So although it's not a good record, it is a small one upon which to judge my skills.
When I think about what's gone wrong in each case, it's neglect. They've sat out on my balcony and I have ignored them. They haven't been watered as regularly as they should have been. They probably haven't had the right amount of sun they needed. I just stopped thinking about them eventually and they suffered for it.
Now I have an entire back yard and an entire front yard to look after and it's started to get me both excited and worried. What will change? Something will need to change if I want to keep it all looking nice, something I do definitely want. I need to find that motivation to keep it all, not just alive, but healthy as well.
So I got googling and I found this brilliant article by Aussie Green Thumb entitled "How to turn your brown thumb green". The answer it seems is that it is all your attitude. I have been responsible for the death of two plants and the serious illness of some others. So I tell myself "I have a brown thumb" and that I am not any good at gardening. Aussie Green Thumb's view is that in that siutation a green thumb would wonder what went wrong, try something different and learn from their mistakes.
I think I need to stop believing that I am a brown thumb and just focus on trying my best and really enjoying the time I spend outside in the garden.
Maybe the fact that it isn't a single pot plant on a balcony I rarely frequent that will make the difference. If you've read my last post you'll know that one of the things that I really want from Aidanvale is to have a home where we can spend time outside as a family. So we will be outside more, I'll be in the garden more and therefore more likely to look after it.
Aidanvale is my home now, where I will spend many more years, and so having it looking healthy and welcoming will be more of a priority and give me more of a sense of accomplishment than a few plants on a grey concrete balcony. I just need to decide that I am a green thumb, that I will do my best and learn from my mistakes and keep going no matter what.
You never know, over time I might even get good at it!
